The work of our Community Safety Hub is playing a crucial role in creating a safer and more secure environment for local residents.
The Hub is improving community safety by using CCTV surveillance, tackling anti-social behaviour, tracing missing people, providing support services for homelessness and ensuring public protection.
The service includes monitoring over 1,300 public spaces using CCTV cameras, providing evidence to Police Scotland and other law enforcement agencies, handling anti-social behaviour calls 24/7 including offering out-of-hours witnessing.
A report, presented to the council’s housing committee, highlighted the successful integration of a dedicated call handling team within the Community Safety facility, ensuring that all out-of-hours homeless contacts are prioritised.
The CCTV surveillance system recorded 5,693 overall incidents over the last year, a reduction of over 300 on the previous year, with numerous apprehensions and cautions made based on CCTV evidence.
Others highlights included:
- Environmental incidents reduced from 831 to 656;
- Anti-social incidents reduced from 1,067 to 996; and
- Criminal incidents reduced from 2,261 to 2,199
Upgrade work on the urban housing CCTV camera system is also continuing, with 130 cameras already upgraded. These upgrades significantly improve the performance of the CCTV system, aiding in the detection and resolution of incidents that may previously have gone unnoticed.
A new initiative to help tackle anti-social behaviour - ‘Break the Cycle’ is also being developed aimed at educating primary and secondary school pupils about the negative impact of anti-social behaviour can have. By incorporating this initiative into the Personal and Social Education (PSE) curriculum, the Community Safety Hub aims to empower pupils to contribute to safer and more community friendly neighbourhoods.
Stephen Llewellyn, Chief Officer of Housing Management explained: "We are pleased this latest report highlights the positive difference the Community Safety Hub is continuing to make in improving safety and well-being for our residents
“We are committed to enhancing public protection measures for our communities. Working with our partners, we will support those who need help and take robust action against anyone making the lives of other a misery. Anti-social behaviour is completely unacceptable, and our teams will continue to work round the clock to identify those responsible for it.”